


Mother Hen Hunk

by The_Sickfic_Sideblog



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Burping, Cramps, Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nausea, Sickfic, Vomiting, headache, stomach flu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 05:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9586829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sickfic_Sideblog/pseuds/The_Sickfic_Sideblog
Summary: A stomach flu goes around the Castle of Lions, and Hunk is the only one who doesn't catch it.





	1. Allura

Hunk let out a deep breath and started another round around the castle. Part of him felt very lucky to be the only one without the stomach bug. He wasn’t cooped up in a small bathroom or huddled under five blankets in bed. But in a way, that would be better than what he was doing now. He could relax and wallow in his own pity instead of experiencing everyone else’s.

With all the teetering supplies stacked on his arms, he hit the button on the door with his elbow and stepped into the princess’s room.

“Princess?” Hunk called out, thankful that the doors closed on their own, “I brought that weird fluid you wanted from the kitchen. I think. I can’t read Altean, and there was more than one bottle of weird blue liquid, but this one seemed right?”

The Yellow Paladin approached the bed where Allura sat. Her skin was fading from it’s normal color to blue, then yellow, then all across the visible spectrum. Her stomach wasn’t nearly as affected by the bug as her Altean abilities were, but she had still thrown up enough to cause concern.

The mice helped Hunk set everything down so he could deliver the bottle. Allura accepted it with a small but grateful smile.

“This is the right one. Thank you, Hunk.” She cracked open the lid and took a few sips. Almost instantly, her hue-shifting skin settled back to its normal color. Hunk’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and he sat down next to her.

“How is it having your first human illness?” he asked, “You must’ve had something similar to this on Altea. You guys look pretty dang human.”

“It’s...not very desirable. But it seems easier for me and Coran than the other Paladins.” she sighed. Hunk smiled lightly.

“It’s not supposed to be desirable.”

“We did have something similar on Altea. Except we didn’t purge from our stomachs, but from our lungs. It was easier than this.”

Hunk frowned, “That sounds worse that stomach flu. That sounds like drowning over and over again.” He brushed the comment off. Maybe drowning was easier on Altea. Somehow. Hunk tried not to think about it too much.

“Well, it should be over soon. Stomach bugs usually only last a day. Any longer, we might start using the healing pods. If they decide to cooperate, of course.”

Allura wasn’t listening. She was pressing the back of her fist to her mouth, teeth clenched tight, trying to keep something down. Hunk placed a warm hand on the small of her back.

“Breathe through your nose. Deep breaths...” He soothed, bringing up a trash can with his other hand. He had witnessed his friends throwing up so many times in the past 24 hours that he found himself not getting nauseated at the action.

Allura took the advice to heart and breathed as best she could. Within a few minutes, she swallowed hard and removed her fist from her mouth, “I think I avoided it this time...”

The paladin grinned, “Good. Maybe you’re getting better.” He set the trash can back down, “When all of this is over, I’m going to make everyone the best Earth food I can with what we have left. You guys will love it.”

The princess settled herself back down on the bed, skin brightening to a magenta color, “It’s no wonder you pilot the Yellow Lion. You put the needs of others above your own. You should rest, you’ve been at this for hours.”

“I can’t, Princess. I have a whole bunch of stuff to deliver to the others,” Hunk glanced at his pile, dreading carrying it through the rest of the castle, “Will you be alright for a while?”

Allura closed her eyes and nodded. “The mice have been very helpful.”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.” Hunk gave Allura a small pat on the back and gathered up his pile of supplies. He was sure that he could hear her lightly snoring before he left.


	2. Coran

Coran was not nearly as composed as Allura.

“I can’t believe I caught a human virus! This is a disaster! And all the healing pods are down, and all the paladins have caught it too! What if Zarkon attacks us right now? We’d all be doomed!”

“Coran-”

“Hunk, you’ve got to be able to defeat Zarkon on your own! You have to pilot all the lions at once and form Voltron and take him down while we all fight for our lives from this horrible illness!”

“ _Coran-_ ”

“After all I’ve been through, I’m going to die from a petty human disease and then be obliterated by Zarkon into ashes!”

“ _Coran!_ ”

The red-haired Altean finally shut up and looked at Hunk, eyes desperately void of hope. Hunk put down all the stuff once more and picked out a washcloth soaked in cold water. “You’re not going to die from stomach flu, and Zarkon is not going to attack us. You’re overreacting.” He placed the cloth on Coran’s head, forcing him to lay back down.

“This is so much worse than Sick Lung. We use to cough up fluid from our lungs on Altea! We’d fill a bucket with the stuff at least twice a day!”

Hunk rolled his eyes, “I’ve heard. Just...don’t think about Zarkon, or Sick Lung, or anything. Just lay down and try to sleep. Did you keep down that water I gave you earlier?”

“Fortunately, yes.”

Hunk breathed a sigh of relief. He may have snuck a dissolved sleeping pill into the water just to keep Coran from using the coms system to summon him. He really didn’t handle the stomach-flu-fever combo very well. With consultation from Allura, they both decided it would be best if Coran slept the rest of the way through the illness. She directed him towards the right drugs, and thankfully Coran kept it down. 

“Alright. I’m going to check on the rest of the paladins. Please try to sleep. You’ll feel better with rest.”

“I suppose you know more about Earth illnesses than I do. Very well. I’ll try to rest.”

There wasn’t much trying involved before he was sacked out on his pillow, a small puddle of drool forming at the corner of his mouth. As quietly as possible, Hunk took the rest of the gear and headed down to where the paladins slept.


	3. Shiro

“You’re sure Pidge was alright with you stealing her heating pad?” Shiro asked. He didn’t put up much of a fight, though. His voice was strained not only from the torment of near consistent vomiting but also from pain. Cramps had seized his stomach and latched on like his Galra-tech arm - refusing to let go. That is, until the warmth of the heating pad touched his skin.

“She said it was fine. She’s not having cramps like you.” Hunk replied. Shiro smirked a bit.

“How did you get out of this, Hunk? You’re usually the one with an uneasy stomach...”

“Not sure. I’m just glad I did. Everyone’s having a really hard time, and I kind of feel guilty that I’m not.” he replied, taking the opportune lull in the vomiting to trash the bag of sick and reline the can by Shiro’s bunk.

With the heat increasing, Hunk could see the relief cross the Black Paladin’s face as the cramps faded away. Part of Shiro knew that the cramps would come back the moment he started throwing up again, but for now, he cherished the calm before the storm.

“Survivor’s Guilt is a bit of a bitch, huh? You wish you were the victim, and that almost feels worse. You felt bad that you made it out but it feels worse to want to be in a bad situation,” Shiro’s eyes fell to his metal hand, “You’d give anything to just turn it back and put someone more capable in your shoes.”

Hunk blinked a few times, “Shiro....it’s just a stomach bug.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry...”

The Yellow Paladin put his hand on Shiro’s shoulder squeezing it in comfort, “You did the best you could in your situation. I don’t think I could have done any better. I don’t think anyone could’ve.”

The Black Paladin didn’t respond.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit! You saved Matt from a fight he couldn’t win, you got out alive, and now you’re the head of Voltron! You made it out! No one could’ve done all that but you!”

Shiro cracked a bit of a smile, “I don’t think you quite understand Survivor’s Guilt, or at least how to fix it. But thank you, Hunk. It means a lot.”

That was good enough.

Hunk spent some extra time with Shiro, comforted by not being the only one in charge. They joked about how awful Coran was when he was ill, and how he wouldn’t last a moment on Earth. But the laughter died down when the pallor of Shiro’s face turned pale.

“Gonna be sick again?” Hunk asked. He knew all too well the signals of one of his friends about to get sick. Each had their own little telling signs. Shiro’s was simply going pale and quiet. He nodded and shifted so that his legs fell over the side of the bed and his elbows propped the rest of his body up on his knees. Hunk handed him the bin and waited patiently.

It only took one gag for Shiro to bring up the water and crackers Hunk had forced into him. It came up easily, flowing directly from his throat into the trash. The bitter scent of bile made Hunk’s nose wrinkle, but he stayed close nonetheless. It was over just as quick as it had started, and Shiro handed the trash can back.

“Fuck....” he muttered, rinsing his mouth out with some water and spitting it back out into the trash.

“You can say that again.” Hunk scoffed. Shiro nodded and settled back into his previous position. He winced as the cramps returned, a feeling too familiar. He clicked the heating pad’s temperature up one notch.

“You should check on the others...”

“You’re alright?”

“I’ll be fine. Just wanna get some rest before I do this all over again.”

With a now much more manageable pile of things, Hunk left Shiro’s chambers, making sure to turn out the light before the door closed behind him.


	4. Lance

Where Shiro was similar to Allura, Lance was similar to Coran. Less energy and panic, but still similar.

“Hunk, the room keeps spinning....”

“The room’s not spinning, Lance. You just got up way too fast.”

Lance ducked his head into the toilet bowl and let out another sickening belch, “Didn’t wanna get sick in bed...”

“Yeah, but look at you now.”

“I hate it when you’re right...”

Hunk leaned back against the countertop as his friend burped again, this time letting up more vomit. He didn’t think there was such a thing as a graceful vomiter, but Shiro proved to be much more composed than Lance when heaving out his guts. The Blue Paladin coughed and gasped, barely getting enough air before another wave sent his head ducking back down.

Hunk returned to his now dwindling pile of supplies and brought Lance back a blanket, draping it over his shoulders. All Lance had complained about all day was how cold he was. Hunk had checked his temperature - he didn't have a fever - but he still shivered and whined. Hunk was used to Lance complaining, but not in such a pathetic fashion.

“It's so cold...” he muttered after finally coughing up the rest of the bile. Hunk gave up trying to reason with him a long time ago and helped Lance to his feet.

“I know. I brought you lots of blankets, and we'll get you settled into bed so you can warm up.”

“Is it colder since we're in space...?”

He wasn’t delirious, there was no fever. The bug was just making him more stupid than usual. Or at least it removed his filter. The Blue Paladin was wicked smart when he needed to be, but the rest of the team really wondered how the brains of a sharpshooter could sometimes be so daft.

“No, it's colder ‘cause you're sick, Lance. I'll see if I can turn the heat up, but it's all written in Altean.”

Lance slipped under the covers and curled in on himself, “Thanks, Buddy...”

Hunk methodically draped each blanket over his shivering friend. The thermostat was indeed written in Altean, but red still meant hot and blue still meant cold. He pushed the red symbol a few times and vowed to check back soon to make sure the room wasn't on fire.

Now with only two bottles of pills left, Hunk made his way to his second-to-last patient, praying they wouldn't be as difficult to deal with as the others.


	5. Keith

To Hunk’s surprise, Keith was sitting up in bed, and not just because he was about to puke. He was studying his bayard with hazy eyes and took little notice of Hunk when he first walked in.

“Hey. I brought those Altean antacids you wanted. You sure you wanna try them? We don't know how they affect humans.”

Keith nodded and took the bottle, “Anything would be better than- _urrrp_...than this...” He stuffed two of the pills in his mouth and swallowed them dry, trying not to let his face go as red as his weapon. 

Hunk quickly found out that when Keith got even a remotely upset stomach, he got hiccups. And after all the hiccups passed, the extra air would come up and leave the Red Paladin a moody, embarrassed mess. They were now in the second stage, and between the hiccups and the stomach bug, the burps showed no signs of stopping.

“It's really okay, Keith. Everyone's just doing what they can to deal with this bug. Shiro even had me steal Pidge’s heating pad ‘cause he was getting stomach cramps. I don't think keeping all that down will help you feel better.” Hunk advised. This earned him a cutting glare from Keith.

“It'll help.”

“We don't even know what Altean medicine does to humans-”

“It'll help!” Keith clenched his jaw and swallowed back another pocket of air. Hunk sighed and gave up trying to convince him otherwise.

“Fine. How's your nausea?”

“Getting better. Like I said it would.”

“But it's only been-” Hunk cut himself off, “Nevermind. Can I have some of the food you stole from the space mall? I'm tired of food goo.”

Keith’s eyes widened a bit, “I didn't steal any-” He stopped and swallowed again, and Hunk didn't bother to listen to his lie.

“Come on, I saw you do it. And it's not like you'll be eating it anytime soon.” Without waiting for a yes, he looked under the bathroom sink to find Keith's stash of reasonable food. He pulled out a bag of what looked like chips, popped them open, and threw one in his mouth. They were definitely not chips, but they tasted infinitely better than the goo.

Hunk reentered the bedroom to find Keith with a much different demeanor. He was biting down on one of his knuckles with his other hand on his stomach protectively. An audible gurgle rang through the air, and Keith's face blushed almost the shade of his lion.

The healthy paladin sighed, and took Keith by the arm, “Come on. Bathroom, now.”

Keith didn't throw up while sitting in front of the toilet, but it took a whole lot of convincing from Hunk for him to let the extra air up. Hunk was just about ready to start hitting his back when Keith finally relaxed. Each burp threatened to bring up something more but never did. They just left him blushing and out of breath, unsure of what to say. Lucky for him, Hunk spoke first.

“Damn, you really had a lot in you. Did you chug a liter of soda since the last time I was here?”

“Not- _huulp_ \- helping, Hunk...” Keith spit out. But Hunk still wanted the bit of satisfaction he deserved.

“Feel better, though?”

There was a pause, but the Red Paladin nodded in defeat, “...a lot better...”

A small smile grew on Hunk’s face as he offered a hand up. Keith took it and stumbled back to bed.

“Why would you do that to yourself? You knew they weren't helping.” Hunk asked once Keith was sitting back in bed. Keith avoided eye contact and didn't give a direct answer. Hunk rolled his eyes and grabbed the last pill bottle, along with the rest of the ‘chips’.

“Just promise me that once I leave, you'll burp like a normal person? Don't make yourself sick any more than you already are.”

Ever so slightly, Keith looked up and nodded. As Hunk turned to leave, he caught a faint “Thank you, Hunk...” before the door closed.


	6. Pidge

The last room was uncharacteristically dark and quiet. Pidge’s light was usually the last to turn off, staying on long past when the others were asleep as she tinkered away with schematics and Altean tech. But now, her room was dead quiet and almost completely dark.

Hunk took care to close the door quickly behind him, trying not to let in the light from the hallway. “Hey Pidge, you awake?” He whispered. There was a shift in the sheets on the bed.

“Mmhmm.”

“How's your head?”

“Bad...really bad...gets worse every time I throw up...might be a migraine...”

Hunk wanted nothing more than to pull his friend into a huge bear hug. Their size difference allowed him to do that. Pidge would sometimes get migraines back on Earth, and he knew how bad they could get. But he didn't touch her, for fear of making it worse.

“I got the Altean painkillers. I'd be careful, Keith had a bad reaction to different Altean meds.”

“I've taken these before. Thank you.”

Fumbling in the darkness, Pidge downed the pills with a swig of water and settled back into her bed. “How is everyone else doing...?”

“Not much better than you. Coran finally passed out, and Lance won't stop shivering. But Shiro thanks you for the pad, he really needed it.”

Pidge’s voice was muffled by her pillow, “If he keeps it for more than a few weeks, I'll bleed on everything he owns.”

Hunk chuckled but found a bit of fear in that statement. Pidge didn't make empty threats. He remembered how she managed to install an eject button linked to his bed after he took the last Balmeran cookie she laid claim on.

“How's your stomach doing?”

“Haven't puked in a while...might be on the other side of this...”

Hunk nodded, and gave her hand a small pat as gently as possible, “You can probably sleep the rest off. I'll be back to check on you later.”

“Thanks, Hunk....you're the real savior of the universe, dealing with all of us.”

Hunk picked up his food, and made for the door, “Well, someone has to. Get good rest, Pidge.”

“Mmm.”

* * *

 

Hunk closed the door carefully behind him. Once it was shut, he took a deep breath and allows himself to slip down the wall and finish the rest of the chips. He closed his eyes, took another breath, and stood. He had another round to make.


End file.
